Comstock Swing Panel Traps "Gitterdone"

     Opossum:

With a family of opossums living in a building, I was able to set some of the 6x624 inch squirrel traps along a wall in a couple of places where the opossums are apt to travel.  Because I had already captured the adults and one small one outside at entry points and knew there were more small ones still present inside, I was able to set the larger squirrel sized swing panel traps in a blind set.

*Remember, when setting blind or trail sets you don't have to find the "only" place an animal travels or necessary the "best" place where they travel most often either, but merely a location an animal is very apt to travel at least once during the course of the night.  Since animals follow structure like a wall both inside and out, a trap up against the wall, parallel to the surface with do the trick.

First check produced opossum #4, another baby one in the 6x6x24 inch Comstock squirrel sized trap. done!

     Gray Squirrel:

Earlier that day I got a call on a gray squirrel that had found itself in a basement.  Sometimes animals can be captured immediately.  Animals can be steered into cage traps by placing the trap against a wall or fencing the trap in with whatever is available.  I have done it was muskrats, foxes and squirrels.  Though a pan trap will work, a trap with either a wire trigger or swing panel trigger is superior.  It is virtually impossible for an animal to pass through a swing panel trap without firing it, while animals often step or jump over pans.

If you do try this method of quick capture, it is best to get behind an animal and direct him into the trap without pushing him hard if possible.  If he walks into the trap it is better than making him run, unless you are using a double door trap with the "back" door closed.  An animal running at full speed can sometimes beat a door, depending on the length of the trap and speed of the door.

In this case the squirrel was huddled up in a corner, tucked in between boxes and I suspected he would be running when disturbed.  I placed a longer 36 inch swing panel trap with an 8x10 opening near the squirrel and boxed in the area beside the trap.  When I finally removed the a box nest to the squirrel he darted out and ran straight into the trap.  Because it was likely that he would be running, I did close the back door.  Since the squirrel could not go past the trigger without actuating it, he was caught in a second, far better than using a pan trap.  It was quick closure in less than 10 minutes.  With internal doors, both ends of this trap are flush mount, so they be placed right up against an entry point.

Having missed animals in similar situations with pan traps in the past, the confidence in the swing panel cage trap truly has no equal.  That's why some call  these traps in this series "the best cage traps for squirrels on the market."